Indy’s story: from forgotten stray to adoption and Instagram stardom

Poor Indy was found wandering alone on Adelaide’s streets in October 2015, a stray whose owner was nowhere to be found.

Rescued by RSPCA South Australia, little did the playful 3-year-old German Shepherd-cross realise she would soon find a loving home, Instagram stardom and even become a big sister.

A rough road leads Indy to RSPCA

RSPCA South Australia Rescue Officer Emma picked up Indy as a stray back in 2015, and immediately bought her into care. Despite her sweet nature, Indy had some behavioural problems stemming from her difficult upbringing.

She was very nervous with new people and required some force-free training with RSPCA Lonsdale’s animal behaviour experts to teach her new manners. After passing her initial training, Indy was placed up for adoption.

Lightning struck for Indy when her soon-to-be new mum Kiara dropped by the Lonsdale shelter in search of a soul to love. “Indy was very vocal in her kennel,” Kiara recalls. “When we got to meet her one-on-one, she wasn’t very interested in us because she had a shell pool and that was the bee’s knees!”

But nonetheless, Indy’s sweet nature and floppy ears worked their magic and she was officially adopted the next day.

New beginnings with a whole lot of training

Shy to begin with, Indy was reluctant to even hop in the car with Kiara. But things soon turned around as Indy realised she was free to sunbake as much as she pleased in her new home.

Kiara decided to enrol Indy in Scholars with Collars force-free training soon after, where Indy thrived off her new-found understanding of discipline. “She needed a lot of training and TLC because she was a young dog full of energy and hadn’t been taught any manners,” Kiara recalls.

“Since then, Indy has become the centre of our universe and we couldn’t imagine life without her. Indy is a very loyal, sweet, happy and loving dog who enjoys playing in the water, cuddling up on the lounge, going on car rides, chasing her soccer ball and eating bones.”

All that cuteness couldn’t go undocumented, of course, so Kiara set up Indy’s Insta for her favourite dog. The photos clearly reveal Indy is especially fond of the hose and it’s seemingly magical stream of water!

A new fur-brother for Indy

As Indy’s behaviour continued to improve, Kiara decided it was time for a big step forward. So in 2017, gorgeous little Onyx was adopted from RSPCA Queensland and officially welcomed into the family.

Indy and fur-brother Onyx bonded immediately and now spend long and happy days playing together. “Indy has definitely taken well to being a big sister and they have lots of fun together,” Kiara says.

Indy now fills busy days with cuddling up on the couch, going for cruises in mum’s car (windows down, of course), rolling around with Onyx and chewing on bones.

“I would strongly recommend that people think about adoption as their first option, rather than buying,” Kiara says. “It may not always be easy because you never know what they have been through, but it is a very rewarding experience when you gain their love and trust.”

If you’re considering opening your heart and home to a rescued animal, head over here to see all our animals currently available for adoption. And if you already have an RSPCA rescue animal, don’t forget to use our #rspcasa hashtag on Instagram so we can follow your happy adventures.